Admissions officers have long relied on GMAT test statistics to estimate application trends. The Pandemic strained that relationship, partly due to advancements made by GRE.
GRE-admitted students now make up more than a third of the incoming cohort at Yale, Berkeley, Dartmouth, Michigan, Duke, and Notre Dame. The dent in the master's market was expected, but the MBA and Management degree shortfall was driven by several factors.
Change in Demographic
From the high of 117,511 test-takers in the US in 2012 when the millennial demographic was taking the GMAT to 73,556 in 2019 - the pre-pandemic test volume shows a shift in generation from millennial to young millennials and GenZ markets.
At numerous business schools, including Georgetown, Washington University, Ohio State, and Pittsburgh, the GRE has become the dominating exam, with more than half of all newly enrolled students taking it. This year, Harvard Business School admitted a record number of GRE test takers, with 29% of the Class of 2023 enrolling, more than tripling the 12% enrolled only three years before. One in every four MBA candidates accepted to Stanford last autumn took the GRE.
Attention Span – Not Just the Pandemic
From the start of social media, the attention span has been declining and finally reaching the 7 to 8-second range. GMAC and ETS – the test creators of GMAT and GRE, understanding the roadblocks, have already released practice tests for the shorter versions of both tests.
The Rise of Executive Assessment (EA)
Initially started as a test for Executive MBA applicants, schools found a middle ground for applicants who might not be keen to take the full GMAT or GRE test. This alternative offered institutions and colleges experimenting with test-optional admissions methods a viable tool to filter out applicants.
Structure of the GMAT Focus Edition
GMAC, recognizing the shift in markets and preference of the test-taking demographic, announced the "GMAT Focus Edition" on March 8, 2023. The exam will be shortened by nearly an hour, with no writing required. The new GMAT Exam will be available to students from early 2024. Following that, GMAT Focus Edition will be the only GMAT option offered.
The test will be divided into three 45-minute portions (Quantitative Reasoning, Verbal Reasoning, and Data Insights) and last 2 hours and 15 minutes instead of 3 hours and 7 minutes. The test will also have an option for a 10-minute break.
Bookmark and Change Answers
Applicants also get the option to Bookmark and review as many of their answers as they want and can change up to 3 responses per section. In the new format, applicants will be allowed to choose schools after receiving their results, rather than before, and official scores will be available in 3 to 5 days.
Select Section Order
Another welcome addition to the GMAT Focus Edition is the increased flexibility of the "Select Section Order" options. When the current GMAT has fixed three-part order options, the new GMAT will feature six orders:
Verbal → Data Insights → Quant
Verbal → Quant → Data Insights
Data Insights → Quant → Verbal
Data Insights → Verbal → Quant
Quant → Verbal → Data Insights
Quant → Data Insights → Verbal
Question Types and Duration – Quantitative Reasoning, Verbal Reasoning and Data Insights
Quantitative Reasoning: This section has 21 questions designed to assess fundamental algebra and arithmetic skills. There will be 45 minutes dedicated to tackling these quantitative problems, which equates to an average of 2.9 minutes for each question.
Verbal Reasoning: This section has 23 questions with a focus on reading comprehension and critical reasoning. As with the quantitative section, there will be 45 minutes to complete these verbal reasoning questions at 1.57 minutes for each question.
Data Insights: There will be 20 questions in the Data Insights portion, including data sufficiency, multi-source reasoning, table analysis, graphical interpretation, and a two-part analysis. Again, 45 minutes will be set aside to solve these data-driven questions, with 2.15 minutes allotted to answer each question.
Reference
GMAT Focus Edition
